Born For This
by Sunsun128
Summary: 100 situations  platonic/romantic  of Roxas and Naminé *Namine*. CHAPTER FIFTEEN: Roxas, Naminé, her information, and a bomb.
1. Blurring the Lines

**Title**: Blurring the Lines

**Fandom**: Kingdom Hearts II

**Characters**: Naminé, Roxas

**Table**: #1

**Prompt**: #54 - Patient

**Word** **Count**: 772

**Rating**: G

**Summary**: Naminé, Roxas, waiting, and Naminé's decision.

**Author's Notes**: Just a bit of musing about Naminé. Basically, I'm really disappointed about how patient Naminé is. She's like a saint with her patience in the games, so I decided to take a spin-off if Naminé wasn't so patient anymore.

* * *

If there was any of a time that required Roxas to be patient, it was now. Sitting in the depths of Sora's heart (in that one place where the darkness touched and even possibly crept in), Roxas tried to be patient. He was waiting. He had been waiting for what seemed like an impossible amount of time. Sometimes in the darkness. Sometimes in the light. The Nobody was equally comfortable in both environments. He was comfortable in Sora's heart. It wasn't a bad place to live, not a bad place at all.

Roxas was getting sick though. He was getting sick of being patient and waiting. He had already traversed the nooks and crannies of Sora's heart, finding almost all of it filled with endless beaches, palm trees, grassy meadows populated with what seemed like billions of flowers, and other peaceful scenes. Finally, he was done with waiting and being patient, and that was when his patience was finally fulfilled.

Detaching himself from Sora was an effort and took a toll on his body (or was it even his?), but it was all worth it when he had the chance to smile at the girl in front of him. _Naminé!_

Later, the blonde haired girl asked if Roxas had been patient. She was sitting on the connecting bridge between Sora's and Kairi's hearts with a sketchbook (materialized out of thin air) and sketching something while gazing off into the distance.

"Of course," he replied with a grin. "I was as patient as could be because you told me we would meet again."

Naminé simply smiled with a knowing look in her eyes and returned to her sketchbook. The air around them shifted with a thousand different colors and their shades. Kairi laughed, and the colors turned into a million glittering rainbows. It seemed sad to Naminé that this was the only place she and Roxas could meet, the connecting area. It was infinitely large and took on a form based on the mood of Sora and Kairi, but lately Naminé found it had been less than enough. If anything, she longed for her pictures not to disappear once she returned to Kairi's heart. She was startled out of her thoughts by Roxas' question.

"Were you patient?" he asked pointedly, giving Naminé a no-nonsense look. He wanted to know if he could get bragging rights or not. Not that he would ever hurt Naminé's feelings by bragging about his "victory" over her if he ever did win a victory over her.

"Of course I was," Naminé replied, picking up a blue-colored pencil and shading in a part of her drawing. "You should know by now, Roxas, that I am infinitely patient. Think of how long I waited in Castle Oblivion." Her back stiffened slightly at the mention of her prison, but she forced herself to relax. Stress meant stiff muscles, and stiff muscles meant harsh strokes on the paper. She wanted this picture to turn out perfect.

Their patience wasn't over either. Naminé realized that as she took up a black-colored pencil and delicately filled in the final parts of her drawing. As long as they were still Nobodies, it didn't matter what happened to them. They would always be waiting…waiting for a heart. A heart of their own, not a heart they shared with someone and was not really theirs. "Here…Roxas," she said, handing him the picture.

Roxas took it and stared down at it. It was a picture of him, Naminé, Sora, and Kairi. Except there was something different about this picture than the others Naminé had drawn of all four of them before. This time the colors in Roxas and Naminé were bold and strong, equally matching the colors in Kairi and Sora. Naminé's hair was exceptionally bright, shining under the sunlight in the picture. Roxas' eyes were the clearest blue, even (if he stretched his imagination just a bit) surpassing Sora's eyes. "What is this for?" he asked, folding the picture and tucking it in his pocket as he had done so many times before but already knowing that it would disintegrate once he got back into Sora's heart.

Naminé smiled—a kind, small smile that emanated warmth and compassion. "Roxas, let's not be patient anymore. I'm tired of waiting."

"W-w-what?" Roxas stuttered, not believing what the girl in front of him was saying.

Naminé laughed and turned to face Roxas. As she pivoted, her hair changed from blonde to red and her eyes from a clear blue to a violet-blue. "I'm saying, Roxas, let's blur the lines." In this situation that required patience, Naminé was done with waiting.


	2. Sleeping with Nobody

**Title**: Sleeping with Nobody

**Fandom**: Kingdom Hearts II

**Characters**: Naminé, Roxas

**Table**: #1

**Prompt**: #01 - Tired

**Word** **Count**: 806

**Rating**: PG-13

**Summary**: Naminé, Roxas, one bed, and their reactions.

**Author's Notes**: Romance :3 Finally? XD Roxas + Naminé = adorableness!

* * *

Naminé was so in love with Roxas that sometimes it hurt. She supposed that it should hurt anyway because of the fact that she was Kairi's Nobody. It had been fated for her to fall in love with Roxas. It had been fated for her to love Roxas, so she did. It wasn't like Naminé to defy conventions or rules. That was why she took Larxene's taunts and Marluxia's excuses.

Roxas was yawning now, head bobbing slightly up and down on his chest as he tried hard to keep awake. He had wanted to see Naminé finish her drawing, but it seemed like she wasn't going to anytime soon. He had immediately gone to her room after a mission, just wanting to see her and be with her for a moment. Now he was feeling the strains. His arm muscles ached, and his legs were limp. He didn't think he could move them and was glad he was sitting in a high-backed chair. He didn't even know if his back would hold out.

"Are you tired?" Naminé asked mildly, putting down her sketchbook and flipping it closed. She had noticed the blonde boy struggling to keep from falling asleep.

"Not really," Roxas lied. "Are you done drawing?"

"No," Naminé replied, "but you're tired, so I decided to stop. After all, you're not going to go to sleep until I finish drawing. I suppose it counts if I put down the drawing to go to sleep myself."

Yet again Naminé's logic and straightforward way of setting it out defeated Roxas' devotion. He sighed and stood up to leave the room, feeling strangely out of place that night. The moon was full and casting a silver tint on the white room. He still wore his black Organization coat with slightly darker patches of blood.

Naminé stood up, catching Roxas' hand. Then a light blush colored her cheeks. "You're tired right? You can stay here for the night, Roxas…"

Roxas felt a flush creep over his face when Naminé said his name. He had stayed late plenty of times, but he had always left in the end. This time Naminé was inviting him to stay for a longer amount of time. He accepted. "Sure, but where would I sleep?"

Naminé's pale skin was already flushed a light pink, and some patches of the pink darkened slightly. "Well, um…" the Nobody said, clasping her hands together. "I have a b-b-bed." Her last statement was so quiet Roxas had to strain his ears to hear it, but when he did he found himself as embarrassed as Naminé.

"W-w-where you s-s-sleep?" Roxas stuttered, crossing his arms and uncrossing them in front of his chest.

Naminé simply nodded, reverting back to her almost silent self from the first time she and Roxas had met. Roxas simply nodded as well, and both were almost as red as a tomato when they reached the sleeping area of the room.

"Good night," Naminé said, curling up in the bed with her back to Roxas and facing the wall.

_At least Naminé won't fall off the bed_, Roxas thought, awkwardly settling down beside her with their backs together. He forced himself to breathe slowly and deeply, wondering if that would trick his mind into falling asleep. If the boy had a heart, he was sure it would be beating quickly, quite possibly defying the laws of time and space. If the boy had a heart, he would sure that he would use it to find one for Naminé as well.

Naminé pressed hand against the left side of her chest and held a baited breath. She was disappointed with what she felt. Nothing. Well, the girl should've expected that there would be nothing. She had no heart. She had no pulse. What was curious was that her body emanated natural warmth though there was no heart circulating blood in her system. There must've been something else pumping that blood through her and keeping her warm both literally and figuratively.

"Are you still awake?" Roxas asked softly, yawning widely and bringing up a hand to cover his mouth.

Naminé mumbled a sound of agreement, turning around and grasping Roxas' hand lightly in one of her own. She mumbled something else, eyes fluttering slightly. She was very tired…could hardly keep her eyes open at this point. Roxas was sure that his non-existent heart skipped a beat, and he smiled down fondly at the girl beside him. It was quite comforting to just lie there with Naminé. He cautiously draped one arm over her shoulder, smiling as she burrowed slightly closer to his cloak-covered chest.

"Goodnight Naminé," Roxas whispered softly, dropping a feathery-light kiss on the girl's flaxen head. He paused for a long time, staring blankly at the white wall before adding quietly, "I love you."

In her sleep, Naminé smiled.


	3. Burning the Sunlight

**Title**: Burning the Sunlight

**Fandom**: Kingdom Hearts II

**Characters**: Naminé, Roxas

**Table**: #1

**Prompt**: #03 - Sunrise

**Word** **Count**: 707

**Rating**: PG-13

**Summary**: Naminé, Roxas, and the precious hours of light that they bask in.

**Author's Notes**: Could be seen as a sequel to "Sleeping with Nobody". I don't even know if Castle Oblivion has sunrises or sunsets, but I'm assuming it does (by looking at the reference picture—it seems like the sun's rays are shining down on the castle from the side)…but I'm gonna make a slip-shod excuse anyway XD. Now onto title junk. Burning the sunlight comes from what I think it means. Basically burning the sunlight means spending the best of the time in brightness/light. Roxas and Naminé need to burn the sunlight XD.

* * *

"Naminé," Roxas whispered, shaking the young girl awake. "Naminé, it's dawn."

Naminé blinked blearily, mind trying to comprehend several things at one. For one thing, the young girl was freezing and shivering slightly. For another thing, her window was open. Finally, Roxas was in her room, and he seemed to have spent the night there.

"Naminé," Roxas quietly said, tugging gently on the blonde girl's hand. "Naminé, let's go." His voice was practically a whine now, drilling deep into Naminé's drowsy morning brain. She blinked a few times before slowly nodding and allowing herself to be led out the window and then suddenly jerking awake when she realized there was only a thin ledge outside the window.

"R-Roxas!" Naminé exclaimed, flailing slightly as she looked at the ground so very far away from her feet.

"Hey!" Roxas replied, wrapping his arms around Naminé's waist to steady her. "Don't worry. I won't let you fall." With this, Roxas gave a roguish grin and lifted Naminé up to the roof. He grunted slightly. "Okay, Naminé, this is where I need your help. Will you just pull yourself up?"

"I'm wearing a dress," Naminé hissed, feeling strands of embarrassment creep around in her chest as she hauled herself up and immediately turned herself around to smooth down the bottom of her white dress. The roof sloped steeply, and Naminé felt a rush of fear as her feet slipped a bit.

Roxas quickly pulled himself up after Naminé and grabbed her to keep her from sliding off the rooftops. "Me and Axel hang out on the roofs a lot," he said quietly. "Sometimes we even see a sunrise or two." His eyes became very serious, and he continued. "I know you never like to open your window, Naminé. You're afraid of what lurks outside this castle, but there are some things about this castle that are beautiful. Sunrises are one of them when they actually appear."

Naminé trembled slightly with cold but nodded at Roxas' explanation for taking her out. She didn't like going out of the castle. She supposed that she would be glad to get out of her "prison" for a bit, but the young girl wasn't. She found that the outside of the castle was barren and inhospitable as well as crawling with Nobodies that the Organization controlled. They all stared at her when she went outside, and Naminé felt almost suffocated in their presence for they reminded her of what she truly was.

The girl was broken out off her thoughts when a warmth was draped around her shoulders and looked up at Roxas to see him smiling as he draped his cloak over the girl's shoulders and helped her wind her arms through the warm material. Below the coat he was wearing a normal white t-shirt and black slacks. The boy looked warm enough though, and Naminé envied him. Being kept inside most of her life, she was highly sensitive to temperature changes. Her own prison had a constant temperature, and she had grown used to it. If she was ever to run away (which she wouldn't for where did she have to go?) Naminé would have a hard time of it.

"If you lie down, you can enjoy it more," Roxas murmured, tugging Naminé to lie down beside him. "Look." He held out one pale hand to point at the sky. Tendrils of pink, purple, and orange were mixing in the sky. It was a breathtaking site, and Naminé inhaled sharply. She reached out to try and capture the colors in her hand but returned with nothing.

"I wish…" she breathed, watching as the sun peeked its head over the horizon. It seemed to be grinning at her and greeting her for a new day.

"You wish?" Roxas prompted, staring at the girl beside him. He never thought she had been more beautiful than with the promise of a new day shining above her. His breath caught in his throat, and he wished that this…

"…moment would last forever," Naminé finished, frowning slightly at Roxas' glazed-over eyes.

Roxas blinked, comprehending her words and grinned widely. He took both of Naminé's hands in his and nodded furiously. "Yeah," he agreed. "I wish that this could last forever."


	4. One Chair, Two People, Three Giggles

**Title**: One Chair, Two People, Three Giggles

**Fandom**: Kingdom Hearts II

**Characters**: Naminé, Roxas

**Table**: #1

**Prompt**: #14 - Chair

**Word** **Count**: 614

**Rating**: PG-13

**Summary**: Naminé, Roxas, and one chair.

**Author's Notes**: Just wanted to try something humorous for a change ^.^ Oh Roxas and Naminé are such cute child-like people XD. I counted three giggles/laughs in the story, but correct me if I'm wrong. I may have miscounted…

* * *

Roxas' eye twitched slightly. He was so tired. His legs felt like they were about to fall out of their sockets. "Naminé," he panted, slowing down to a halt from his run and slapping his hands on his knees. "Why are you so fast? All you do is draw all the time."

The two Nobodies had started a game of tag, and Naminé had been surprisingly quick. She was clever too, sliding under tables and sometimes throwing a pencil to distract Roxas for a few precious seconds. He was ashamed that he had fallen for the trick more than once, but at least he had only fallen for it twice.

"It's not my fault you're slow," Naminé teased, feeling especially free at that moment. The scurrying around the room had made her remember how it was to get up and move before she had been confined to her room and forbidden to go out.

"I'm not slow!" Roxas replied in mock anger, flicking Naminé's forehead. "At least I'm taller than you."

Naminé giggled softly and felt her legs wobble. She couldn't remember how long they had run, but it hadn't been for a short amount of time. The young girl was sure of that. She let out another breathy giggle as Roxas caught her when her legs gave out. Then she noticed there was only one chair in the room.

The instant Naminé's eyes locked on that chair, Roxas' eyes did as well. They both slowly turned to stare at each other. Naminé's eyes glimmered slightly with an unspoken challenge. Both Nobodies darted toward the chair. Naminé reached it first, stopping and beginning to sit down. However, Roxas got there and pulled out the chair from under her. Still, he made sure to catch her by the waist and hoist her up before she could actually hit the ground. Then he was about to sit in the chair when Naminé came flying at him.

The young girl tackled him with surprising force. He grunted as the chair tipped over, and both Nobodies were sent sprawling on the floor. Roxas laughed, soft and low. "Wow, Naminé. Never thought you had it in you."

Naminé scrambled up and dashed for the chair again, ignoring Roxas' comment. She was just righting it up when Roxas caught her waist, turned around, and dropped her in the opposite direction from where the chair was. Then he let out a sigh of relief as he dropped into the chair. Naminé just let out a sigh and slid to the floor. Her feet ached, and she stretched out her arms. Oh how she wished to sit in that chair.

Roxas looked at the girl and frowned, suddenly feeling very selfish. He slid off the chair to the ground with a thump. "Neither of us get the chair then!" he exclaimed, crossing his arms and stretching out his legs on the floor. It wasn't as nearly as comfortable as the chair, but it didn't feel right for him to be sitting on the chair and Naminé to be sitting on the floor.

"You don't have to sit on the floor with me," Naminé said, slowly beginning to catch her breath.

"Yeah," Roxas agreed. "I don't have to, but I want to." With that he flashed the girl a dazzling smile.

Naminé let out a gusty sigh. Just as she had begun to catch her breath, a certain someone had to just go and take it away again. She giggled slightly and reached for her colored pencils and sketchpad, scattered on the floor around her. Suddenly she knew what to draw, so she did. She drew Roxas sitting in a chair and laughing.


	5. More Than One

**Title**: More Than One

**Fandom**: Kingdom Hearts II

**Characters**: Naminé, Roxas, Axel

**Table**: #1

**Prompt**: #07 – Friend

**Word** **Count**: 559

**Rating**: PG-13

**Summary**: Naminé, Roxas, and his friend(s).

**Author's Notes**: NO YAOI. JUST GOOD FRIENDS. GOSH. Err…I think this is mostly platonic Naminé and Roxas. Also not one of my best pieces. I'm suffering from writer's block T.T The title refers to Roxas having more than one friend XD.

* * *

"Are you done with that drawing yet?" Roxas asked, fidgeting in his seat and glancing at the white clock on the wall. He had been doing that for a while now. He obviously wanted to go somewhere.

"Yes," Naminé lied, setting down the sketchbook. "Goodbye, Roxas."

Roxas nodded and darted out of his seat, rushing through the door. Naminé sighed, picking up her sketchbook again and continuing to draw. Sometimes lying was the easiest path out with Roxas. He obviously wanted to spend more time with his two friends, and Naminé didn't blame him. She guessed that he felt bored when sitting and waiting for her to finish her drawings.

Naminé finished the last of the strokes. She had been close to finishing when Roxas had begun to fidget uncontrollably but didn't have the heart (figuratively and literally) to hold the boy captive any longer. Smiling, Naminé pinned up the picture on the wall. It was a picture of Roxas, Xion, and Axel eating sea-salt ice cream on top of a tower. Roxas had described the scene with much detail to Naminé before, and she had found herself capturing it on paper before she could even blink.

Sighing, Naminé unpinned it from the wall and slipped it under the bed with another sketch. A hand on her shoulder jolted Naminé out of her reverie. It was Axel, the fiery Organization member. Naminé found herself afraid of him often, but Roxas seemed to trust him so she made an effort to subdue her fear.

"Roxas wasn't himself today," Axel simply said. "I sent him off with Xion to go do something fun, but I wanted to come here and talk with you. I won't forgive you if you hurt Roxas. Got it memorized?"

Naminé nodded numbly. Axel usually wasn't this harsh with her. Indeed, most times he was rather amiable and struck up conversations with her when it was his turn to keep watch over her. However, now Roxas was in the equation, and Axel loved his best friend.

"S-sorry," Naminé replied, bowing her head. "I think he might have realized that I—"

Axel waved his hand dismissively. "Don't want to hear it. All I know was that Roxas wasn't himself, so you'd better watch your step." With that, Axel opened a dark portal and walked out of the room. Only when he was gone did Naminé allow herself a sigh of relief and a slight snort. Axel had always been theatrical and dramatic. She supposed it came with his red hair.

Just a few moments later, Roxas came bursting into the room, panting heavily. "I…Xion was a distraction so that Axel could…did anything happen?"

Naminé shook her head silently, picking up a pencil and beginning to sketch something on a blank page in her sketchbook.

Roxas cautiously retook his seat beside Naminé, glancing at her weirdly now and then.

Naminé finally sighed and closed her sketchbook. "Go, Roxas."

"What?" he asked, shocked. "Are you kicking me out?"

"In the kindest way possible," Naminé replied. "Roxas, I don't think you understand how much your friends care about you. You should be spending your time with your friends. They're important, you know?"

Roxas blinked slightly before smiling at Naminé and dashing out of the door again with a backwards wave.

Naminé smiled as his voice echoed back, "Don't worry, Naminé. I'll be back soon! After all, you're my friend as well!"


	6. Under One Sky

**Title**: Under One Sky

**Fandom**: Kingdom Hearts II

**Characters**: Naminé, Roxas, Riku

**Table**: #1

**Prompt**: #17 – Beach

**Word** **Count**: 472

**Rating**: PG-13

**Summary**: Naminé, Roxas, Riku, and one sky.

**Author's Notes**: I like Namiku, and I know this is supposed to be Roxine…but AHEM. Platonic Roxine? XD And technically it could be like good friends Namiku…but I meant for it to be romantic Namiku. ^.^ It's intentionally vague though. Also, this is AU cause obviously they're on Destiny Islands, and they're not with Sora/Kairi so…yeah.

* * *

Naminé sat. Naminé drew. Naminé laughed. Naminé loved, and throughout all of it, Roxas sat and watched the girl he had known for what seemed like forever blossom in front of his eyes. He could still remember the first time he had met her. She had been so timid, not even looking at him in the eye. She had stuttered slightly and always seemed to curl into herself, trying to hide away from the world.

Only if the Organization could see her now. They would be shocked. She was still shy, but she wasn't afraid anymore. Roxas could see that in the way that she laughed softly and smiled at the silver-haired boy sitting beside her.

Naminé was smiling. Naminé was laughing. Naminé was blushing. Roxas was happy. He kept a close eye on the couple, watching as Riku lifted up Naminé to her feet and led her down to the edge of the coast. Small waves broke up against Naminé's feet, turning into foam. She laughed. Roxas smiled.

The young girl smiled up at the boy beside her. They had gone through many times together yet they had still managed to stay steadfast for some reason. At first she was sure that Riku had hated her, but now she was sure that he held some affection for her. It warmed her to think that Roxas and she could be whatever they wanted now. There was no Organization looming over her or DiZ either. Sighing slightly, Naminé trailed her fingers through the sand, feeling the grains rough against her smooth skin. She didn't know what she wanted to be now. The free choice was just too much.

"Naminé!"

The blonde girl's head shot up, and she saw Roxas crossing his arms and slightly smiling at her. She couldn't forget that he was going through the same phase of self-discovery as her. Naminé stood up, brushing the sand off her white dress and set off at a brisk pace toward the boy. Riku followed her, and she was grateful that he hadn't just deserted her at the first sign of Roxas. There were still some ill feelings between those two.

"Riku," Roxas acknowledged, replied with only a nod. Shrugging slightly, Roxas took Naminé's hand and pointed out at the sun across the ocean with their connected fingers. He struggled for words and eventually whispered out, "Look, Naminé, the sun."

Naminé smiled at him and turned to Riku, wondering if he was seeing the same thing Roxas and she were.

"Wherever we are, we're all under one sky," Riku murmured. He turned to look at Naminé, raising his right hand to rest above his chest. "One heart…"

"One sky," Naminé completed, mimicking the action and smiling slightly. With Roxas and Riku by her side, she was sure that she could discover her own path.


	7. We Are All Connected

**BIRTH BY SLEEP SPOILERS.**

**Title**: We Are All Connected

**Fandom**: Kingdom Hearts II

**Characters**: Naminé, Roxas, Terra

**Table**: #1

**Prompt**: #22 - Beggar

**Word** **Count**: 1588

**Rating**: PG-13

**Summary**: Naminé, Roxas, her overwhelming kindness, and a strong connection with the past.

**Author's Notes**: I can just totally imagine this happening. Enough said. Plus, I admit it. I'm a total Naminé x Terra or Naminé x Ventus fan. AQUA IS AWESOME.

* * *

**BIRTH BY SLEEP SPOILERS**

Naminé was given this one reprieve in her capture. In her surprise, Axel had deposited a rather heavy bag of munny into her hand, and Roxas had come to lead her to Twilight Town. She had taken her sketchbook with her. It was a small town but bigger than anything Naminé had ever seen before. Her eyes were wide with wonder, and she giggled at practically every sight. She tried her hand at a local's skateboard, falling off several times but caught by Roxas each time.

Then she turned her big blue eyes on the Organization member and pleaded. She just wanted to be alone for a while, explore on her own for a while. She didn't want anybody hanging over her. It made her remember that this was only one day, only one time (but hopefully more). Roxas simply nodded and forced himself to go hang out with the locals, hopping on a skateboard and skating with the best of them. He eventually lost himself in the intricate tricks and loops, losing track of time.

Meanwhile, Naminé cooed and awed over the art supplies in the local art store. She carefully selected a cheap large pack of colored pencils but not before ensuring that they were all of the upmost quality. The owner liked her. He smiled at her and introduced her to their paint section, saying that she looked like the kind of girl who would like to paint. Naminé simply smiled, wondering what it would look like if she painted the walls, floor, and ceiling of her prison with these bright colors.

Carefully, ever so carefully, she selected tubes of paint. Only the brightest red was selected so that she would have a better chance of capturing Axel in his flurry of movement. She selected a calm, gentle brown so that she would be able to capture that flower girl she had seen on the streets. Soon after, there came a pitch black which would serve her well with the Organization's cloaks. The store owner kindly pointed her to a section of sketchbooks made specifically for paint (her current one was made for crayon and colored pencils). She bought the paint, two sketchbooks, and some brushes, bagging them up and smiling as she walked out into the sunlight.

Weirdly her bag of munny was barely lightened, and Naminé heard the coins jingle as she walked along, marveling at the blue of the sky. Then she stopped as something caught her ankle.

"Spare some munny for the poor," the man wheezed. He looked to be not so young anymore but not yet old with thick stubble and heavily lidded blue eyes.

Naminé stuttered and fumbled before finally giving a few coins to the poor man. He stared down at them and then up at her, mumbling that nobody had ever shown him such kindness before let alone even given him the time of day. Naminé felt such a pain in her chest that she offered her very pale hand and introduced herself. She invited him to come with her for the day, inventing a lie that she was only in town for the day. She would pay for whatever he wanted for that one day.

The man's eyes widened at her offer, and he shook her pale hand, introducing himself as Terra.

"Earth?" Naminé asked, laughing. She had dabbled in a little Latin from time to time. After all, what else was there to do when she was a prisoner?

Terra shrugged, looking down at the young girl. She reminded him of times better forgotten. He wasn't strong. He knew that now. He had earned munny and then spent it all on frivolous items such as paintings or antiques. When he ran out of munny, he sold it all and turned to a life of destitution. People ignored him. That was fine with the man. It was better to be ignored than to be looked at as a real human, but then this young girl had come and offered her assistance. She was the first one to take notice in him and offer him help. The darkness had felt like it was consuming him until that one single ray of shining light pierced through the clouds. She reminded him of…Aqua though with much less spunk.

Naminé first brought the man to an inn where she set him up for a week, again barely scraping the munny in the bag. She jangled it again, wondering if Axel had used his special trick. The red-head had often boasted that he could fit an enormous amount of munny just in his pocket. It was how he cheated at poker games. Naminé supposed that it wasn't a lie like she had supposed before. It seemed like the bag was endless.

Terra thanked her profusely and took an hour to freshen up while Naminé sat and drew a little in her sketchbook, capturing the rustic feel of the room of the inn. When Terra came out of the bathroom, he gaped in awe at her drawing and asked if he could look at the rest. Naminé simply nodded, watching as he flipped through the sketchbook and frowning slightly as a scowl marred his face at some of the pictures.

"Why do you draw so bad?" he demanded, putting down the sketchbook and fixing Naminé with a heated blue stare. "You can draw better than what I see in some of those drawings."

Naminé shrugged daintily. "You cannot force someone to draw," she replied simply, taking her sketchbook and picking up her bag of art supplies. Terra offered to carry them for her while they traversed town. Naminé agreed with a grateful smile, and they went to a small diner where Terra ravenously gulped down a huge lunch. There he learned about Naminé's hidden sadness. There she learned about the darkness consuming Terra.

They went to the park next, Naminé using her munny to buy two sticks of sea-salt ice cream for her and the man. She felt the need to pamper him for a while. He had obviously lived a hard life, and somehow he reminded her of Roxas in a strange way. She got him to talk about her friends.

"I love them," he admitted. "I miss them."

Naminé said nothing.

"Do you miss your friends?" he asked, frowning as Naminé stiffened.

She absent-mindedly licked at her sea-salt ice cream, swinging her legs. They were sitting on a well-worn bench, simply watching the people pass by. If Naminé admitted it, Terra was rather handsome and didn't seem to be that old. It made the atmosphere slightly awkward. "I am nobody," she finally settled on.

Terra protested, listing off Naminé's kindnesses to him. She simply smiled and shrugged, repeating her previous statement. They sat for a long time in silence before Naminé broke it, asking Terra to tell her more about his friends. She bought two more sticks of sea-salt ice cream for them, and they eventually decided to wander town.

When Naminé gauged the time since she had left Roxas, she scrambled to Sunset Hill with Terra jogging beside her. Naminé couldn't help but notice his fast reflexes when her sandals slipped. He caught her without a blink of his eye and then helped her up to the top of the hill. Sitting down with her brushes and paints, she quickly and masterfully captured the beauty of the sunset before slipping and sliding down the hill with Terra hollering after her.

"I'm out of time!" she exclaimed, taking a short pause to brush some dirt away from her skinned knees and blow a little at the scrapes on her arms. Terra caught up but was panting for breath by the time. How could such a little thing be so fast? He pulled her to a stop, handed her the bag of art supplies, and parted with her with a fond hug but not before receiving the bag of munny in return.

"Naminé!"

Terra squinted at the figure in the distance, running to meet Naminé. The spiky head of locks reminded him so strongly of Ventus that he turned away, not daring to look at the boy's face in fear of dredging up more memories. He had enough reminders of Aqua during the day. He didn't need to be reminded of Ventus too.

Naminé skidded to a halt in front of Roxas, panting heavily and apologizing. She made an excuse saying she had lost track of the time and sincerely hoped the young boy wouldn't get in trouble with the organization. Instead of being mad, Roxas took the time to check on her scrapes and skinned knees, scolding her for being so childish.

"But I met him," Naminé protested, batting Roxas' hand away gently as he prodded at her knees.

"Him?" Roxas queried, glancing sharply at Naminé.

Naminé nodded furiously, pointing at the other end of the street. "That brown-haired man. He was begging on the street, so I gave him some money. He smelled of the darkness, but he acts of the light."

"How many times must I tell you not to speak to strangers?" Roxas asked angrily, grabbing Naminé's arm. "Come on. We're going back."

"His name was Terra!" Naminé exclaimed, placing a hand over her heart. "I feel like somewhere…somehow we might have known each other."

Roxas froze when he heard the name. "Terra," he repeated, feeling the name roll off his tongue. Suddenly he didn't feel so angry or exasperated at/with Naminé. He even felt like he might be…happy. "Let's go, Naminé…"

Naminé wondered why Roxas was crying.


	8. Don't Forget the Oven Mitts!

**Title**: Don't Forget the Oven Mitts!

**Fandom**: Kingdom Hearts II

**Characters**: Naminé, Roxas

**Table**: #1

**Prompt**: #78 – Kitchen

**Word** **Count**: 1017

**Rating**: PG-13

**Summary**: Naminé, Roxas, and chocolate chip cookies.

**Author's Notes**: Shameless fluff.

* * *

There was a kitchen in Castle Oblivion, and that was the only place Naminé was allowed to go…with supervision of course. She liked it when her supervisor was Axel. He always made the baking of her cookies faster even if they did come out a little burnt on the edges. She was sure that he liked supervising her as well since he always got half of the cookies as payment. Today was different though. Naminé didn't know what was wrong with the Organization, but they had all seemed very preoccupied and even shooed her off to the kitchen…without supervision.

Nearly elated with glee, Naminé brought out the cookie dough she had put in the day before when she had come down with Larxene. She hadn't felt like making chocolate chip cookies then, but now she did. Giggling softly, she tried to reach the cupboards where the chocolate chips were head. Frowning when she didn't reach them, Naminé looked around for the stool she usually used. It wasn't there.

"I'll help!"

Naminé yelped when she found herself being lifted up around the waist. "Roxas!" she exclaimed, closing her eyes tightly. "I was just looking for the stool…"

"You're heavy, Naminé!" the boy whined. "Go ahead, and just grab them already."

Naminé succeeded in getting the chocolate chips from the cupboard and pulled the bag open, dumping the entire thing in the bowl of cookie dough. Luckily, it was a big bowl, but still the chocolate chips seemed to be overwhelming the cookie itself.

"Do I get some?" Roxas asked, moving forward with a finger poised to swipe some of the cookie dough.

"Not until they're done!" Naminé squeaked, smacking Roxas' wrist. He gaped. She blushed.

"You just…smacked me?" he asked, marveling that sweet, fragile little Naminé had actually stood up for herself. "Do I still get some cookies?" Roxas pouted adorably.

"S-s-sorry! Of course! All of them!" Naminé exclaimed, blushing furiously and cringing slightly. She couldn't believe that she had smacked Roxas. She had actually hit him! Stirring the cookie dough, she found her arm getting quite tired. Blinking slightly, the girl was surprised when Roxas took over and murmured something about Naminé getting the oven ready or something.

"Right!" Naminé said, scrambling to preheat the oven. Pretty soon, she found herself leaning slightly on the counter and gazing dreamily at Roxas. When he looked up and caught her gaze, she immediately shifted it to the cupboard above him and hoped that her face wasn't flushed. What was she doing? Naminé scolded herself mentally and put the cookies in the oven.

There was a comfortable silence as Naminé and Roxas waited for the cookies to bake. It wouldn't take that long as the oven had been…fixed…by Axel some time before when he came to make cookies with Naminé. Now it cooked twice as fast which was nice, but sometimes it left Naminé's cookies with burnt edges or uneven baking. She always scowled at that, but Axel would always tweak her nose and simply grin. She guessed that her scowls weren't that intimidating.

"Want some sea-salt ice cream?" Roxas asked, rummaging in the fridge. "I asked Axel to buy some more the next time he was out, but I bet he forgot about it. That lazy bum. Ahah! He actually remembered." Continuing to mumble to himself about Axel and his unique qualities, Roxas split a bar of sea-salt ice cream in half and handed one piece to Naminé.

She licked at it cautiously, cringing slightly at the first taste but soon devouring it with gusto. She couldn't remember when she had last eaten. Of course, Nobodies didn't need to eat, but strangely Naminé still felt pangs of hunger when she went without eating for long periods of time. Of course, she had never told anybody in fear of being experimented on even more.

"Do you like it?" Roxas asked, observing Naminé keenly.

"Yeah," Naminé said quietly, licking at what was left before throwing the leftover stick into the trashcan. "It's nice. It's…two things at once."

"Speaking in riddles again?" Roxas asked, hoisting himself up onto the counter and leaning back against the cupboards.

Naminé giggled softly. "You know you're not supposed to do that, Roxas," she chided gently. The ding of the oven broke off Roxas' reply, and Naminé blindly scrambled for the cookies and dropped the pan. She had forgotten oven mitts.

Thankfully, Roxas was there to save the day with oven mitts which he had slapped on quicker than the eye could see. He caught the pan of cookies with his great reflexes, set them on the counter, stripped off his oven mitts, and rushed to Naminé. "Ack! Naminé, are you okay?" Roxas exclaimed, blowing air over the girl's hands and then dragging her to the sink. "And I thought I was dumb."

Naminé's lip trembled, and Roxas hastily tried to amend his statement.

"I mean! Not that you're dumb! That was just a stupid thing to do, but you're not stupid, Naminé! In fact, you're one of the smartest people I know."

"Thank you," Naminé said quietly, looking at her hands. They weren't burned too badly, courtesy of her quickly dropping the cookie pan. She whimpered slightly. Roxas cringed and took her hands between his, blushing furiously. He kept them there for a short time while the cookies cooled and hoped that his hands would serve to cool hers down a bit.

"I think the cookies are cool by now," Naminé stammered and took one, finding that her hands only slightly throbbed now. She picked up a cookie and bit into it. The chocolate chips were still melted, leaving sticky traces on her face, and she sighed in delight. She loved making cookies, but she loved eating them more.

"You're so cute, Naminé," Roxas said, sighing and stuffing an entire cookie into his mouth. "And you cook really well. Wuah…"

Naminé smiled and handed him another cookie. "You know. Maybe we should…cook together some other time," she replied quietly.

"I'd like that," Roxas mumbled, smiling widely. "We should cook together all the time…"


	9. The Art of Being a Genius

**Title**: The Art of Being a Genius

**Fandom**: Kingdom Hearts II

**Characters**: Naminé, Roxas

**Table**: #1

**Prompt**: #87 - Genius

**Word** **Count**: 1951

**Rating**: PG-13

**Summary**: Naminé, Roxas, the color of Naminé's hair, and the art of being a genius.

**Author's Notes**: Err…shameless Naminé idolilzing? Errr…pretty AU since they're standing separate from Sora and Kairi…and they're on Destiny Islands? ACK. SO C-O-R-N-Y.

* * *

Naminé let out a low growl as she stomped into Kairi's house, slipping off her sandals at the door. She had been living with the girl for a while, becoming Kairi's adopted sister. She liked Destiny Islands. It was small and secluded. Unfortunately that meant everyone knew everyone, and a new person in town caused serious ripples. She was one new person in town. Roxas was the other. Two new people in town nearly gave Destiny Islands a heart attack.

Naminé liked Destiny Islands, but sometimes the people got her riled up. Just because she was a blonde did not mean she was dumb! Naminé stifled a small screech as she hefted her backpack to her room beside Kairi's. "I'm not stupid," she muttered, pulling out her books. In fact she was probably in the top of her entire freshman class of high school. Unfortunately, people didn't seem to believe that since she was always so quiet and absorbed in sketching.

In reality, while Naminé sketched she also ran through the lessons learned during the day in her mind. That was how she kept her mind sharp by studying as much as she drew which was almost constantly. Naminé sat down to start on her homework which she meticulously turned in each day, awing some of her teachers who just waited for her to slip up. It seemed that on Destiny Islands school was something on the sidelines. Only those who wanted to get off the islands tried hard in school so they could go to a good university somewhere else. However, most students wanted to stay on the island, so they just didn't try.

Even though Naminé enjoyed Destiny Islands, she couldn't imagine herself spending her entire life there. Kairi and Sora couldn't understand her need to become the top in school and go off to an art university. Naminé always wanted to pursue her art. She also always wanted to travel the world. Not even Roxas understood, finally finding a sense of belonging on Destiny Islands. The only person who actually understood was Riku, but Naminé found herself competing with him more than talking to him lately. Both wanted to get off the islands badly.

Sighing, Naminé filled out her math homework quickly and efficiently. Numbers were nothing compared to messing with memories. In fact, none of the school work compared to the work needed to break and chain together memories. Her brain was keen. History was a breeze, dates falling into their places just like that in her mind. You see Naminé thought of her school subjects as a chain. All the pieces were there. She just needed to fit them together, and she did it well.

The girl wasn't surprised when Roxas scrambled through her window, panting heavily. "Hey Naminé," he chirped. "Can I hang here for a while? I think I got Sora really mad, and I don't really want to go home for a while."

Naminé snickered. Roxas lived with Sora, and the two seemed to have been like brothers forever. Unfortunately Roxas had this bad habit of teasing Sora about Kairi too much, and it usually ended in Roxas hiding out in Naminé's room for a while.

"What did you do now?" Naminé asked, sighing and beginning to draw diagrams on a piece of scratch paper to help with her math homework.

"I just waved a papou fruit in front of him and Kairi," Roxas muttered.

"You will never learn," Naminé said, laughing and flicking a pencil toward Roxas. "Did you bring along your homework this time? You know Mrs. Clogine will get angry if you don't bring in your math homework again."

"Homework's boring!" Roxas protested, leaning back against the wall with his arms crossed behind his head. "I honestly don't get how you can just come home and do it. You're already tied with Riku for top of class. You don't need to do anymore."

"But nobody believes it!" Naminé burst out, slamming her pencil against the desk and fighting against the burning in her throat which signaled tears. "Nobody believes that little Naminé could be number one. That Naminé she's always lost in her sketchbook! I bet she's cheating to become number one. Do you think that Riku likes her? She probably made a deal with Riku where Riku does her work for her. I heard they're really close. Besides, she's blonde."

Roxas' jaw dropped open at Naminé's outburst. It was always the quiet ones, he mused. "But Naminé, you are smart!" he protested, scrambling forward to pat his friend awkwardly on the shoulder. "You're the smartest girl that I know."

"Really?" Naminé sniffled, glancing up with Roxas with big blue eyes.

"Er…yeah," Roxas replied truthfully, sitting down on Naminé's bed. "I mean Kairi…well she's smart but not as smart as you. She's always being tutored by Riku. Selphie's more concerned with romance, and all the other girls at school are more concerned with Riku." Roxas smirked.

Naminé giggled. It was true. Riku had turned up even more attractive, and his devilish looks had inspired a gaggle of females all admiring him. Some of them were bolder in their advances, but most were admirers from far away. Naminé couldn't count how many times she had been approached because she was Riku's friend. However, the young girl was never taken in by the girls' wiles and sympathy. She counted a small group of friends, and she rarely hung out with anyone at school, instead preferring to spend her time in the art room. The teacher knew her well by now.

"Still," Naminé said, turning back to her math homework, "nobody considers me much of a genius. Neither do I, but I would like to be seen as more than a dumb blonde."

"Hmm," Roxas said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Those girls are just jealous, and they're using what they see to your advantage. You're always wearing white, so that makes them think that you're trying to pull off being an angel."

"White is a good color," Naminé murmured defensively. "Besides, I don't want to wear red like Kairi! People already say I'm imitating her enough."

"Don't listen to the haters," Roxas replied, waving his hand flippantly. "You just don't look smart. No offense. I mean it in a good way. You look like a sweet little girl who could never harm anyone."

Naminé's lip trembled. "I hope you're going somewhere good with this," she muttered, finishing up her math homework and pulling out history next.

"I am," Roxas reassured the girl, standing up and pacing around the room for a bit. Finally, he snapped his fingers and grinned. "I got it. To get these other people to stop ragging on you, you just need to change a few things about yourself. Nothing bigger, I swear, but some little adjustments are needed. Just you wait, Naminé. I will show you the art of being a genius!"

Naminé smiled. Roxas sure knew how to cheer her up when she was feeling down. "Are you sure?" she asked teasingly. "You don't seem like a genius yourself."

"Believe me," Roxas replied. "You don't need to get good grades to seem like a genius. Just believe me, and if you don't, I'll show you. Next week of school, I'll be seen as a genius. I promise."

"Fine," Naminé replied airily. "I'm counting on you, Roxas." She smiled at the boy beside her who high fived her with a grin on his face.

"Don't worry, Naminé. I always keep my promises!"

Naminé simply smiled and finished her homework in silence while Roxas stole her iPod and leaned back against her bed, listening to music. After the weekend, Naminé went to school and sat under her usual tree before the warning bell rang whereupon she would depart for English class with her essay ready and typed. She blinked a few times when Roxas approached her. He was different today, no longer wearing what would be considered his casual clothes. He was wearing a polo and jeans. It was an unusual mix.

"Roxas?" Naminé queried. "Are you wearing glasses?"

The square frames complimented Roxas' face well and made him look…well…smarter.

"Hush," Roxas said, leaning against the tree next to Naminé and pulling out his iPod. She watched as he specifically changed his settings so that the backlight would never go out and then as he flipped the music to…Bach? Then he took off his glasses, held them loosely in his right hand, and slapped his left hand over his eyes feigning sleep.

Naminé shrugged and continued drawing. Later, when Roxas was sleeping in the history class they shared, she heard several girls whispering about him.

"I heard he's super smart, like a genius."

"That's why the teachers dislike him so much right?"

"Yeah. I heard he's rebelling against the system because they never let him excel, so he just fails his classes."

"Wuah. How cool!"

Naminé blinked and stared at Roxas. Those girls were serious. They seriously thought that he was some sort of misunderstood genius. Naminé gaped. Roxas was serious. He really did know the art of being a genius. The week after that, Roxas visited Naminé in her room having yet again angered Sora. This time he brought his glasses with him.

"The lenses don't do anything," he assured, placing them onto Naminé. "See. I knew you would look good with square rims." He turned Naminé to the mirror. "You already look like a misunderstood genius. You just need to do what you usually do now. Hang by yourself and draw. Then you'll never be scorned as a dumb blonde again."

Naminé stared at herself in the mirror and frowned. No, that wasn't her at all. She didn't like to pretend. Pretending was for those who couldn't face reality or the truth. Pursing her lips, Naminé slipped of the glasses and returned them to Roxas, smiling and replying sweetly, "Thank you, Roxas, for everything you did, but it's okay. I know that I'm smart, and I know that they're jealous. Thank you for opening my eyes."

Roxas smirked. "No problem, Nami," he affectionately said, ruffling the girl's head. "Don't let those haters get to you anymore, okay?"

Naminé nodded, giggling slightly. "You looked funny in a polo, Roxas."

"It sucked!" Roxas exclaimed, preferring his t-shirts. "So formal. I felt like I was going to a society ball or something."

"I'd like to see you show up like that to a ball!" Naminé exclaimed, voice tinkling. She was glad that she had Roxas as a friend, and she knew that Roxas was glad to be her friend as well.

A few months later, Naminé won a prestigious art award for her painting of a winter's day. The judges called it "surreal and extremely poignant". People began to come to her for art tips. Other people watched her with awe, and many even asked for her autograph as the award was chosen from a national pool of contestants. Naminé acquiesced to the requests of her peers and found herself being idolized by some of the former girls who had spoke jealously of her.

A few weeks after she had won the award, Naminé sat in her room drawing. Winter break was only a day away, and none of the teachers had assigned homework. Roxas pulled himself into her room, complaining about how Sora couldn't take a joke. Then he strolled over to observe her drawing.

"It's really good," he finally said when he found the words, knowing it was more than just good.

"Thanks," Naminé replied, smiling, "but I should also be thanking you for showing me a piece of art you made yourself. The art of being a genius…"


	10. BFFL

**Title**: BFFL

**Fandom**: Kingdom Hearts II

**Characters**: Naminé, Roxas

**Table**: #1

**Prompt**: #40 - Argue

**Word** **Count**: 696

**Rating**: PG-13

**Summary**: Naminé, Roxas, and what best friends are supposed to be like.

**Author's Notes**: Another AU. I think I've written enough in-universe for some AU time. :D

* * *

"Naminé…" Roxas said warningly.

Naminé paid him no heed, instead continuing to draw furiously in her sketchbook. Broken colored pencils littered the ground around her.

"Naminé…" Roxas tried again, tone growing harsher.

The young girl continued to give Roxas the cold shoulder as yet another colored pencil snapped under her grip. She lazily flicked it to an unoccupied space around her. She was drawing in a shady grassy area under a tall oak tree. She had been there for a while, simply waiting. Then when Roxas had arrived, she began to snap her colored pencils.

"I seriously didn't mean to!" Roxas pleaded, frowning at his friend. "I swear. I just got distracted."

Naminé's voice was soft and dangerous when she replied. "Roxas, do you realize that this is the fifteenth time you've stood me up? And this time…this time, it was really important for you to show up!"

"It wasn't my fault," Roxas protested.

_Crack!_

"Er. I mean," Roxas said, backpedalling. "I'm sorry, Naminé. I don't know what to say or what to do. You know you're my best friend. I'm sorry. Really sorry. This won't ever happen again."

_Crack!_ "You were with _her_ weren't you?"

"Well…yes, but what do you expect, Naminé? Should I abandon Xion just because you're my best friend?"

"That's not the point!" Naminé screeched, clapping her hands over her mouth after the loud noise came out. She looked amazed that she could even say something that loud. She continued on in a quieter voice. "That's not the point, Roxas. The point is that we're friends, and friends are supposed to be there for each other. You've failed me fifteen times. And I think…"

Roxas frowned as his friend choked up and slung a friendly arm around her shoulder. "Hey. What's up, Nam? I know I've been a horrible best friend lately, but I swear. Next time it won't matter if it's Axel or Xion. I'll be there for you."

"Thanks," Naminé said, sniffling slightly as she went to gather her broken colored pencils. "Oh yeah, Roxas. I wanted to meet you today because I wanted to tell you that I'm moving."

"Oh. To where?" Roxas asked, utterly clueless. "I know your house is kind of small and all. Doesn't surprise me since you have a baby sister on the way."

"Um…no…" Naminé said slowly. "I'm moving out of town. I'm moving to Destiny Islands."

Roxas' jaw dropped, and his voice was scratchy when he asked, "Where's that?"

"Some islands out in the ocean. Somewhere nice and quiet," Naminé replied quietly. "My mom thinks that it'll be a nice change. She's tired of Twilight Town. Besides, my cousin lives there. You remember her, right? Kairi!"

"Hey. I think that's where my cousin lives too," Roxas said, scratching the back of his head as he pursed his lips in thought. "Haven't seen him since forever, but his name's Sora. Maybe you guys will see each other there."

"Aren't you upset?" Naminé demanded. "We're going to be separated." Her lip trembled. "We won't be best friends anymore."

"Hey, chin up," Roxas said, flicking Naminé on the forehead. "Listen up. Just because we're separated doesn't mean we won't be best friends anymore. I'll write all the time. I promise."

"Promise?" Naminé asked, biting her lip.

"Promise," Roxas replied, extending his pinky. They linked pinkies on it, and Naminé put her broken colored pencils back into the box. Then she stood up and jerked her head toward the café where she and Roxas were supposed to meet.

"You know. I'm not letting you off the hook yet," she said quietly. "You owe me cake. Lots of cake."

"Chocolate mousse?" Roxas asked, laughing and pulling out his wallet as they strolled down to the café.

"You owe me a double chocolate mousse this time," Naminé replied, laughing and blue eyes sparkling. "So you promise you'll write?"

"Every single day."

"I'm going to hold you to that. So, do you think they have sea salt ice cream on Destiny Islands?"

"I dunno."

"So you're really gonna write me every day?"

"We've been over this Naminé…"

"I really don't know why we're best friends." 

"I have no idea either."


	11. Controlled

**Title**: Controlled

**Fandom**: Kingdom Hearts II

**Characters**: Naminé, Roxas

**Table**: #1

**Prompt**: #26 - Pickpocket

**Word** **Count**: 1051

**Rating**: PG-13

**Summary**: Naminé, Roxas, and her heartbreaking decision.

**Author's Notes**: This is Naminé's turn to be a pickpocket in an in-universe story taking place after Roxas defected from the Organization. A bit more angsty than my other stories, but you know… Naminé was really just a scared, controlled girl back in KH1 and Chain of Memories. Enjoy (especially Divine Wolfe).

And yes, there's some technical stuff that doesn't really match with Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, but that game just looked like a filler to me… So I guess technically this is canon AU, even though I tried so very hard to make it in universe. Call it what you wish, it's not completely AU.

**358/2 DAYS SPOILERS BEGIN HERE**

If you really wanna get all technical, I tried to make this as parallel with Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days as I could. Basically, the timeline of this story is after Roxas kills Xion. I haven't played the game, but I'm under the impression that after she dies she is absorbed into Sora, and Roxas forgets her? At least, that's how this story operates. Roxas forgot about Xion, and Naminé now lives in the mansion of Twilight Town, restoring Sora's memories. Roxas has defected from the Organization. This is before his confrontation with Riku at Memory Skyscraper, and I'm assuming Roxas is blissfully unaware of Naminé's involvement with DiZ or Riku.

**358/2 DAYS SPOILERS END HERE**

* * *

Naminé felt her breath quicken as Roxas entered the room and tried to focus on her sketchbook. She hadn't seen Roxas in a while since he had been on a mission (not one assigned by the Organization since he had already defected but a personal mission instead), but he had promised to come visit her first thing after he returned. It seemed he kept his promise from the stink on his cloak and the dark stains.

"What's up, Naminé?" Roxas asked wearily, plopping down on the chair across from her.

Naminé winced, hoping that the chair wouldn't stain. The young artist was just a slight neat freak. It was why her room was always in perfect order, and it was the complete opposite of Roxas. He had taken her to his room once and looked quite embarrassed when she had noticed a pair of boxers hanging on the back of a chair. Now, Naminé… Naminé never left anything of value or anything that could embarrass out. She even put her sketchbook under her pillow at night.

"Nothing," Naminé finally replied, putting down her colored pencils. She had to do it now. When would she get another moment? When would she gather up the courage again? Naminé clutched her sketchbook so hard the spirals left imprints on her palm. Roxas didn't seem to notice, beginning to chatter on about how tired he was and how the mission was such a pain but that he had discovered some things that he wanted to.

Naminé fervently hoped that he would always be like this, overall bright and vibrant. She hoped that the Organization never tore him down, never found him. She hoped that he never reverted to what he was like when he had first joined the Organization. Even though she had been forbidden from even catching a glance of him, Naminé had begged and pleaded with Axel to tell her about the new boy. The red-head had responded by describing Roxas as a "zombie". However, a few days later, Axel came back with a revised opinion and brought Roxas with him.

That was the first time Naminé had seen Roxas, and she remembered feeling her stomach do flips and a faint heat brush her cheeks. She remembered him struggling to pronounce her name until she had finally scrunched up her nose cutely and recited it for him. After she had done that, he got the hang of it. It was also that day when Marluxia had come, putting a hand on her shoulder and asking in a silkily sweet voice if she had seen the new recruit.

Terrified, Naminé had shaken her head. She had insisted that she never saw him, that she had only heard of him.

"Are you lying?" Marluxia had drawled, idly twirling a strand of Naminé's hair with one gloved hand.

She remembered her voice shaking as she persisted in her story that she was not lying and had never seen or met Roxas.

"Good," Marluxia had purred, "because you know, Naminé…good girls don't lie."

Naminé had continued lying though, and Roxas had enough intuition to hide or run out of the room when Marluxia was there. They never crossed paths, thankfully, and the peace had lasted. Now, Marluxia was gone. Naminé would never have to worry about him again.

Naminé raised her eyes to stare at Roxas who was still taking animatedly about the mission and what a success it was. She lowered her eyes and clenched her sketchbook tighter. How could she do this to Roxas? The Roxas that she loved and adored. The Roxas who took so many pains to portal and visit her even though it was dangerous and he knew it. The Roxas who was just searching for answers.

"Naminé?" Roxas queried, pausing his story and noticing that the girl was awfully quiet. "Naminé…are you crying?"

Naminé wiped the salty droplets from her face and hastily brushed them off the picture in her sketchbook. She ripped the picture out of her sketchbook, folded it into a small square and slipped into Roxas' pocket. She would follow DiZ's orders just like she followed Marluxia's orders and even Axel's orders at times. She would allow herself to be controlled again, but Naminé hoped that this time it would help Roxas. He wasn't destined to fade into the darkness…not like her.

"Naminé?" Roxas asked again, confused as Naminé slipped the picture into the pocket of his Organization coat. He still wore it though it bore no good memories (well maybe some good memories). "Nam—" Roxas was cut off by a pair of soft lips pressing onto his. He blinked, and then the pressure was gone.

Naminé was crying without restraint now, hiccupping slightly. "I'm so sorry, Roxas," she cried, resting a trembling hand on his cheek. "I'm so sorry."

"What are you talking about?" Roxas demanded, wondering why Naminé was acting this way.

Naminé just smiled and pressed a finger to Roxas' forehead. There was a flash of light, and the boy slumped to the floor. Naminé held back a sob as the door to the room opened.

"He will be taken care of," DiZ said smoothly, motioning to RIku who picked up the boy with disgust and lugged him out of the room. "Naminé, you will do well next time not to disobey my orders."

Naminé said nothing, slumping to the ground herself and crying. The tears ran down her face and shattered on the white floor. "Goodbye, Roxas," she mumbled, hauling herself up. "You'll be safe now. You won't remember me." The blonde-haired girl ran a hand along the torn edge of her sketchbook where the picture had given Roxas once resided. Her lips quirked up in a faint smile, but the tears continued to cascade down her face. "Remember to keep my picture safe. Okay, Roxas?"

The young girl hurled her sketchbook at the wall in a fit of self-pity and rage. She slumped into her chair, pressing her hands against her face. She was disgusted with herself. How could she do that? No matter how many excuses she made, she had done it because DiZ had ordered her to do it. And at that instance, Naminé made a vow to never let herself be controlled again.

_"We'll meet again, Roxas. I promise."_


	12. Not Afraid to Fall

**Title**: Not Afraid to Fall

**Fandom**: Kingdom Hearts II

**Characters**: Naminé, Roxas

**Table**: #1

**Prompt**: #30 – Fall

**Word** **Count**: 677

**Rating**: PG-13

**Summary**: Naminé, Roxas, and how he came to take her falls for her.

**Author's Notes**: Marluxia/Larxene both seem like the kind of person to do cruel things to Naminé, so I expanded on what they could've done to her in Castle Oblivion. T.T Poor Naminé… Luckily Roxas is there ^.^ I am not satisfied with this story. I feel like it's a horrible horrible addition, but I decided to upload it anyway. It seems a little too…weird for me? Plus the ending is weak. Bleck.

* * *

Naminé was like a leaf in autumn. Her lifeline was Roxas, and she was barely hanging on. The harsh winds were Marluxia or Larxene, and they threatened to blow her far far away from Roxas and anybody else. Therefore, Naminé clung—desperately clung—to anything that she could hold onto. It was mostly Roxas, largely her drawings, and sometimes…Sora.

Now, Naminé had nothing to cling onto—literally and figuratively. Her sandaled feet desperately churned the air as she tried to find some sort of ledge or anything. Her blue eyes were wide with terror, and her hands were clawing desperately at her throat.

Larxene was laughing—cruelly laughing—and it was echoing in Naminé's ears. One hand of hers was wrapped around Naminé's throat and dangling the poor Nobody out the window. Far far below, lesser Nobodies controlled by the Organization mulled below. They stared up at the scene with gleaming eyes, eager to see if Larxene would actually drop the girl.

"Don't hurt her too much," Marluxia drawled from his front-seat spot. "She's still needed."

"The Nobodies will catch her," Larxene cackled dismissively. "Besides, she isn't even turning blue yet." Still, Larxene loosened her grasp slightly, allowing Naminé to gasp for some well needed air.

Naminé closed her eyes, trembling as she slipped slightly. Her feet still churned in empty air, but now they were surely slowing down. Even Naminé who seemed to never have a will knew when to give up. There was no reason to try anymore, Larxene was going to let her fall, and she could do nothing about it.

"Naminé…"

The voice was nothing but a whisper, but the girl's eyes flew open anyway. She struggled now, twisting and turning to see where the voice had come from. It was so soft, barely a whisper, meant only for her. Then she caught a sight of his spiky head and felt her breath rush out of her in relief. Roxas was smart enough not to let him be seen by Larxene or Marluxia (not like they would have seen him anyway since they were so preoccupied with _her_), but he had come. That was the important part.

"Are you scared, Witch?" Larxene asked, loosening her grip even more. "Are you scared because you're going to fall?"

Naminé struggled for breaths as the fear coursed through her veins. Of course she was scared. She was being dangled through a window _at least_ four stories off the ground. On the other hand, there was a strange part of her that was calm because _Roxas_ was there, and _Roxas_ would _never_ let her fall, so Naminé gathered that small orb of courage she held deep within herself and whispered ever so quietly, "No."

Larxene screeched and flung Naminé away from her as if Naminé was some sort of disgusting insect which she probably was in Larxene's eyes.

And she fell, reaching blindly toward the sky. A scream ripped through her throat, and then she was caught by a pair of familiar arms. His face was covered by the black hood of the Organization coat, but Naminé knew blue eyes were there somewhere.

"Shh," he murmured, flying through the air and hitting the ground with a thud. Roxas looked toward the window, but Larxene had already abandoned it, cackling loud enough about her triumph for them to hear about it on the ground.

Naminé caught her breath on the ground, trusting Roxas to keep the lesser Nobodies away. She didn't need to be bothered or harassed anymore. Curiously, the bruises from Larxene's grip were already appearing on her neck, dark and menacing. They marred her pale skin, and Roxas found his own breath catching as he brushed back her blonde hair to get a closer look.

"Thank you, Roxas," Naminé whispered hoarsely. She leaned back against the boy's arm and finally let her eyes flutter shut.

It was at that moment Roxas swore to himself that he would never let Naminé fall again, and if he did, he swore that he would be there to catch her…always.


	13. The Boy in White

**Title**: The Boy in White

**Fandom**: Kingdom Hearts II

**Characters**: Naminé, Roxas

**Table**: #1

**Prompt**: #27 – Reverse

**Word** **Count**: 965

**Rating**: PG-13

**Summary**: Roxas, Naminé, a role-reversal, and the color white.

**Author's Notes**: My internet was broken for around two weeks T.T Sorry about that guys. However, I decided to come back with an eye-popper. You would not believe how fun it was for me to write this. The idea came from…come on Naminé wears all white. What's all white? A wedding dress! So cheesy/corny/fluffy. I think I just overdosed on fluff XD

* * *

Roxas sat in his white room and painted. He painted many things, pictures of an island far off which he knew but did not know and pictures of a red-haired girl who seemed to be important to him. Each day, he would pick up his paints and spread them out in an orderly line on the table. Each day, he would paint on a huge sketchbook canvas supported on a stand. Each day he would get a little bit lonelier and a little bit sadder.

Marluxia came and talked to him. He told him that a new girl would be joining the Organization and that under no circumstances would he be able to take a peek at her.

"What's her name?" Roxas had asked quietly, dabbing his paintbrush in a deep blue color for the ocean.

Marluxia's lips had curled up into a cold sneer. "Her name is Naminé, and she is not to be trifled with. Continue to focus on your task of rearranging Kairi's memories."

Roxas had murmured something noncommittal and went back to painting over Kairi's real memories. He was not that boy, Sora. He was not him. He was Roxas…at least he thought he was. The charm that Kairi had given him…no Sora…weighed heavily in his pocket even though it was an illusion, and he was ticking down the days until Kairi would arrive. Would she even realize that he wasn't the real thing?

Sora wore dark, earthy colors that symbolized living and breathing. Roxas wore white. He wore a white jacket and white pants. Even the zipper on his jacket was white. He blended in perfectly with the background of his room, all white.

"Roxas."

Roxas looked up from his painting and met clear blue eyes. Suddenly, it felt like he stopped breathing. His paintbrush clattered to the ground, staining it a bright red. This girl…He felt like he had known her for eons yet he had never met her before. "Naminé," he breathed, for he knew that was her name. "I wanted to meet you at least once."

Naminé smiled, moving forward to stand by Roxas. "What are you painting?" she asked, putting a hand delicately on his shoulder.

"Kairi," Roxas answered truthfully and then bit his lip as a series of expressions crossed Naminé's face. He had forgotten out of his excitement to finally catch a glimpse of her. She was Kairi's Nobody, but she did not know that. He did though, and it pained him to see those expressions cross her face. "They told me I wasn't allowed to see you," he finally said.

A wry smile played on Naminé's face. "I'm not, but I've never been the type of person to follow the rules."

A dark portal appeared in the room, and Roxas stiffened before relaxing when he saw it was only Axel. Axel was the Organization member who acted most human to him. There were some times when he slipped up, but mostly Axel was kind in his own way. However, Axel was also volatile, and that scared Roxas. He had to watch what he said and did around the Organization member.

"Hey, I was looking for you," Axel said to Naminé, frowning slightly. "You know—"

"I know. I know," Naminé said, looking fondly at the boy beside her. Roxas felt an inexplicable surge of anger. He wanted Naminé to look like that at him! Then, Naminé looked at him with a completely different expression, and Roxas' anger melted.

"It's time to go Naminé," Axel said, grabbing the girl's arm. She swatted playfully at him, and they both shared a laugh. However, Axel did open a dark portal and prodded Naminé in front of him.

"Bye Naminé," Roxas stated quietly from where he was sitting. He had picked up his paintbrush and went back to painting Kairi with a slight frown on his face and a tangle in his stomach.

Naminé laughed, turning around to wave goodbye to Roxas. "Don't worry, Roxas. I'll come and visit sometime soon." There was a shimmer in her hand as she summoned her Keyblade. It was white like the room but seemed to be fitting for the young girl. It complimented her. Saluting Roxas with her Keyblade, she turned and raced through the portal with Axel following her and grumbling, "We're late for the mission now."

Roxas couldn't help but imagine Naminé in white. He smiled as he brought out a yellow tube of paint and spread some out on his painting, covering the red. He smiled as he watched the painting transform. At parts, the red tried to shine through but was ultimately dampened by the yellow. He lightened the yellow with some white and began to feel something strange starting from his toes and rising to his head. "Naminé," he whispered, painting in the blue of her eyes. "Naminé." He painted her in a white dress with a sash around her waist and the bottom of the dress trailing the floor elegantly. "Namine." He swished on a gold color to show her highlights. "Naminé…"

He dabbed his paint in the brown and finished off the painting, laughing slightly at how cruel his mind was. He laughed at how his imagination ran wild, and he laughed at how he was going to dream this painting into life that night. Then the tears began to fall, and he carefully set away the picture to dry before hurrying to return to his work before Marluxia came and found what he had painted… Naminé in a wedding dress at the altar, standing with a brilliant smile beside _him_…Roxas!

"Naminé," he said quietly, dabbing into the fierce red paint again, "I want to see you in white."

The unspoken words hung in the air heavily.

_"Naminé, I want to marry you…"_


	14. Pass or Fail

**Title**: Pass or Fail

**Fandom**: Kingdom Hearts II

**Characters**: Naminé, Roxas

**Table**: #1

**Prompt**: #66 – Fail

**Word** **Count**: 1052

**Rating**: PG-13

**Summary**: Roxas, Naminé, and his supposedly utter complete failure.

**Author's Notes**: Hehehehe. Poor Roxas :C So tell me…did Roxas pass or fail? XD

* * *

Roxas bit his lip and quickly checked the cookies in the oven. They were coming along perfectly, rising up and turning that perfect shade of golden-brown. The chocolate chips were bubbling slightly, but Roxas knew they were going to turn out just at that perfect melted stage after the cookies were out of the oven. 

"Roxy!"

Flinching slightly, Roxas whirled around and spread out his arms protectively before the oven. "Nothing to see here, Axel. Move along."

The lanky red-head raised an eyebrow and slinked forward with a mischievous expression. "What's in the oven, Roxy?"

"Stop calling me that," Roxas complained, continuing to stand in front of the oven. "I'm just cooking something for dinner tonight." He instinctively jumped out of the way when one of Axel's chakrams went whizzing at him. "Hey!" Roxas exclaimed, jumping back but too late. Axel had already caught a glimpse of the cookies in the oven.

"You're baking heart-shaped cookies for the Organization?" Axel asked, quirking another eyebrow and grinning. "I wonder what Luxord will have to say about that. Are you sure that this isn't for a certain memory witch up in the tower?"

"She's not a witch," Roxas snapped back, flushing slightly, "and yes. I may be making these for Naminé, but it doesn't mean anything."

Axel clapped his best friend on the back, chortling softly. "My dear Roxas. I do believe you've grown up." His eyes darkened then. "Just make sure Marluxia and Larxene don't catch you."

"I won't," Roxas said, frowning slightly at the mention of the two Nobodies. "Look, my cookie are almost done so…"

"You need my help in cooking them?" Axel asked brightly, eyes shining with glee.

"NO!" Roxas shouted, reaching out toward the flame-wielder. "Axel! Don't!"

It was too late. The oven erupted into flames, and Axel looked sheepish as the flames disappeared. "Sorry, buddy," Axel mumbled, rubbing the back of his head.

Roxas looked as if he could kill. A slight increase in the brightness of the room alerted Axel to the boy's Keyblade.

"Hehe. Okay, Roxas. I'll just be going now!" Axel exclaimed, quickly opening a dark portal and flying through it just as Roxas' Keyblade came lashing out.

"Come back here!" Roxas yelled, but the dark portal had already closed up. He dropped his Keyblade and watched it dissolve into a light show before dropping to his knees in the front of the charred oven. "Noooo," he moaned, putting on the oven mitts and opening up the half-melted door.

The cookies were sitting on he thankfully only partially melted pan. He pulled it out and looked mournfully at the burnt crisps which used to be the perfect heart-shaped chocolate chip cookies. "Screw you, Axel," he muttered, dumping the cookies into the trash bin and staring dejectedly at the half-melted oven. "Now, I can't even make another batch." The young Nobody shuffled dejectedly to the freezer and tugged out a double bar of sea-salt ice cream. Breaking it in half, he held one in his right hand as he ate the other piece slowly, still depressed from Axel ruining his plans.

"Roxas?"

Whirling around, Roxas nearly let his ice cream fall onto the floor but tightened his grip at the last moment. "N-Naminé!" he stammered. "What are you doing down here?"

Naminé tilted her head slightly and gave a small laugh. "I came down here to see you. Axel said that you wanted to see me?"

"Oh. Right," Roxas replied, feeling a flush creep up his neck and onto his cheeks. "Well…you see. Would you like a stick of sea-salt ice cream?"

The blonde Nobody looked slightly confused as Roxas offered the ice cream but took it nonetheless and licked it delicately. She was silent. Roxas was silent. It was awkward.

"Were you making cookies?" Naminé finally asked, waving her half-finished ice cream at the burnt crisps on the counter.

Roxas grimaced, feeling embarrassed. "Yes. I was…but then Axel came along and ruined them." He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I was actually making the cookies for you."

"That's nice," Naminé remarked absent-mindedly. Some of her sea-salt ice cream had begun to melt and drip on the floor, but she didn't notice.

"H-hey!" Roxas exclaimed, taking the sea-salt ice cream from her and popping what was left into his mouth.

Naminé blinked and then blushed, a red creeping onto her cheeks. "Roxas, what are you doing?"

"Vu were vetting ith melth," Roxas mumbled, his mouth full of the ice cream. He finished off the stick and threw it into the trash. "Naminé, you can't just let it melt! You have to finish it before it melts."

"You're very passionate about sea-salt ice cream," Naminé observed, giggling slightly.

Roxas felt his spirits lift. He had made her laugh. Unintentionally of course, but he had made her laugh. That had to count for something. "So anyway," he said, frowning and slightly depressed again. "My cookies got burnt by Axel."

A slight smile graced Naminé's lips. "Oh, Roxas," she said, sighing softly. "Don't be sad about that. Next time, I'll come down and help you make the cookies, okay?"

Roxas' mood brightened considerably, and he grinned. "You mean it, Naminé?"

Naminé nodded slowly.

"Thank you!" Roxas crowed, grabbing the young girl in a hug and squeezing her tightly. "You're the best, Naminé." He was so glad that the young girl was coming out of her shell and beginning to really talk to him. She had been mostly silent when they first met, and he had been too. It had been awkward back then, but now it seemed like they belonged together in the same room always.

Awkwardly, Naminé rested her hand lightly on Roxas' back and hugged back slightly. "You're welcome, Roxas," she replied, feeling a bubble of joy rise up into her chest.

Roxas grinned and hugged her even tighter, forgetting about his own melting stick of sea-salt ice cream in his hand. Maybe his failure hadn't been that bad… After all, he had gotten a hug from Naminé. Pulling away slightly, Roxas grinned. "Say, Naminé. What do you say we meet tomorrow morning to bake some cookies? Bring Axel along too. He won't care much."

Naminé smiled back, staring down at her sandals shyly. "Okay," she said, lifting up her gaze. "I would love that…Roxas."


	15. 10 Minutes

**Title**: 10 Minutes

**Fandom**: Kingdom Hearts II

**Characters**: Naminé, Roxas

**Table**: #1

**Prompt**: #90 – Bomb

**Word** **Count**: 1359

**Rating**: PG-13

**Summary**: Roxas, Naminé, her information, and a bomb.

**Author's Notes**: I'm in the total spy mood right now, and I was listening to the Mission Impossible theme song while writing this. :D Yes, I made Axel the bad guy cause…Well just look at the prompt XD READ JUMP BY SOVEREIGN BETA :D for more parkour action + Roxas. ^.^ I just thought it would be easier for him to make it up thirty-one flights of stairs with parkour instead of just running up them. XD BTW, expect a sequel…

* * *

"You understand, don't you?"

"No," Roxas said, furrowing his brows and staring at the man who used to be his best friend. "Axel, I don't understand why you would do this."

For a moment, the red-head looked ashamed, casting his green gaze on the floor, but that expression was quickly banished. Instead, his look turned predatory as he motioned at the hotel. "Who's on the thirty-first floor of the hotel?"

Roxas ran through the people on that floor in his mind. The names flashed before him. _Biggs & Wedge. Cloud. Tifa. _None of them rang a bell until he got to the end of the list. _Naminé_. "You wouldn't," he growled, already radioing for backup just in case. "Axel, why?" Roxas' voice was pained now, and he struggled to keep from breaking down from the betrayal.

"The real question is why did you leave Naminé up there," Axel stated, sighing slightly and crossing his arms.

Roxas shook his head. He just needed to distract Axel long enough for backup to get there and find a way to warn Naminé too. "She knows that my job is dangerous. Her job is too! She's as much of a trooper as I am."

"Don't delude yourself," Axel snorted, nodding his head toward the hotel. "She's in intel. She gathers information, but she doesn't know about it. Do you want to know what she stumbled on during the ongoing investigation of Organization Thirteen?"

"Nothing of importance," Roxas retorted. "She would've told me."

"You do know that couples having no secrets is a lie, don't you?" Axel asked, stuffing a hand into his right pocket. "Let's do this, Roxas. I don't know why you left the Organization or why, but I do know that we want you back. You know that you can't be a cop. You've done too much on the dark side already."

"Naminé believed me," Roxas muttered. "She believed I could be a cop."

There was a sharp laugh from Axel. "Oh geez. This is too good. Naminé was our prisoner for half of her childhood. You can't possible believe she has the best judgment. During that time, she learned things which is why it was such a shock when she slipped away and you next. We've been searching for her ever since she escaped, but she made some powerful friends. It was a pleasant surprise when we finally tracked her down and learned you two were engaged."

Roxas slowly looked at his watch. Why wasn't any backup there?

"Wondering why there's not backup?" Axel asked, leaning against his car and flippantly jangling his keys. "Some of our friends are holding them up. They'll hold them up until the signal."

"And what's the signal?" Roxas spat, fearing the answer he would receive.

Axel's grin widened, reminding Roxas of a predator stalking its prey which was just in reach. "Well, I'm glad you asked, _Roxy_. The signal is an explosion…" Axel stopped jangling his keys and smirked. "The button to my car alarm is linked to the bomb. I made the bomb myself…it has a little…extra flair. Now, it would be fun to just make it explode now, but I'm such a nice guy. I'm going to give you a chance. You have ten minutes, starting now."

Roxas didn't even stay to question Axel. He bolted forward, tearing through the doors and startling most of the hotel staff. Barely pausing a beat, he flipped his ID at them and pressed the button for the elevator. After thirty seconds of waiting, Roxas grew impatient and decided to take the stairs inside. He was fit. He wouldn't tire out, but the stairs would still obviously take longer than the elevator.

"This is taking too long!" Roxas roared on the tenth floor, one minute having already elapsed. Throwing all caution to the wind, Roxas stepped onto the banister and vaulted upward, testing his rusty parkour skills. He had dropped practicing parkour after leaving the organization which was when he was still a teenager not a twenty-three year old!

"Not too bad, Roxas," he hissed as the metal banister of the stair banged into his chest. Ignoring the pain, he waited a few seconds until he caught his breath and jumped up again. At the cost of a few bruises, Roxas made it up to the thirty-first floor in record time and burst down the hallway.

Throwing open the door to her room, he screamed, "Naminé!" His heart was stuck in his throat as he saw her tied to a chair with a sign looped over her neck. Her eyes were wide, and there were tear tracks down her cheek.

"Roxas, don't come any closer!" Naminé yelled as Roxas took a step forward. "I need to tell you something."

"Tell me later!" Roxas exclaimed, reading the note from where he was standing. _Say goodbye to Naminé._ _P.S. Xion says hi…_

"There's not going to be a later, Roxas!" Naminé cried, struggling slightly against her bonds. "Listen, Roxas. I don't care about Xion. I swear it. I just need to tell you."

"Don't talk!" Roxas said, rushing forward and kneeling behind the chair Naminé was tied to. Her wrists were red from the coarse rope tying them together, and he felt a surge of anger at the Organization. "Don't speak, Naminé!"

"Roxas," Naminé said, her voice low now. "Roxas, Axel…"

"Yes. I know he betrayed me."

"No, that's not it!" Naminé said, shaking her head. "Axel was the one who saved me from DiZ along with Riku. Axel's not a bad guy, Roxas. You have to realize that!"

"All I know is that he's tied you up with a bomb, Naminé!" Roxas hissed, freeing her wrists of the rope. "Does it hurt?"

"What?" Naminé asked, rubbing her wrists absentmindedly and taking the sign off of her. "No! Of course not. Axel's on our side, Roxas. You have to believe me. He's making a distraction so that I can tell you without anyone listening in."

Roxas ignored what Naminé was saying and started dragging her to the door, surprised when she dug in her heels.

"No! Roxas, listen to me!" Naminé exclaimed, gripping Roxas' wrist tightly. "Roxas, listen to me. The bomb is here, but it's in the unused basement far away from any of us. This was the only way, Roxas. Listen to me. The Organization is planning something. They've been planning it since we were teenagers, but I recently found something else while I was in intelligence." She leaned in closer and whispered something in Roxas' ear, taking slight relish in how his eyes widened and how he looked at her as if she were crazy.

Roxas opened his mouth to say something, but his phone ring. Without thinking, Roxas picked it up.

"Time's up, Roxy," a voice hissed, and everything seemed to blur together as a resounding boom sounded in his ear while Naminé screamed.

* * *

It was obvious Roxas was in a hospital from the first glance he took around, but it was also obvious that he was alone. Mouth feeling like cotton, he pressed the red button to call for a nurse who looked surprised but quickly got him some water.

"Your cousin is waiting for you out in the hallway."

"Sora?" Roxas croaked when his cousin walked in.

"The one and only," Sora said, grinning and rubbing his head bashfully. "Geez, Roxas. You look like…"

Roxas could think of a million words to fill in the blank but refrained. There were more important questions to be asked first. "Sora, where's Naminé?"

"Well, you see," Sora said, frowning slightly, "Kairi was supposed to come in and explain it to you, but she's a little…busy, so I decided to come in instead."

"Where's Naminé?" Roxas insisted. His entire body and head ached, but he was sure that the remedy would be to know that Naminé was alright.

"Roxas, you were alone when you were found…"

"What do you mean…?" Roxas asked, slowly. His brain was so fuzzy. He could barely comprehend what Sora was saying.

"I mean," Sora said, gazing down at the ground. "I mean that Naminé's body wasn't found."

Roxas' world shattered.


End file.
